Attachment-plug cap



' kPatented July 279, 1930 UNITE-D "STATES PATENT A4olv-*Fica HARVEY HUBBELL, OF BRIDGEPOR-T, CONNEC'IICT;` LOUIE HUIBBELL EXEC'UTRIX 0F SAID HARVEY BUBBELL, DECEASED ATTACHMENT-PLUG can l Application led February 8,1927. Serial No. 166,667.

This invention relates to attachment plug caps such as are used for connecting portable electrical devices to a suitable source of current 'supply through a suitable electrical receptacle, and relates especially to the construction of the contact blades carried by the .cap to make the electrical contact with the stationary contacts in the receptacle, and has for an object to provide a contact blade which is much more rigid thanthe contact blades now generally employed, and therefore. cannot be easily broken or bent out of position in use.

It is also an object of the invention to provide contact blades in which the contacting surface between the blades and the contacts of the receptacle is greatly increased over the blades now enerally employed, and thus ves a greater, etter and more reliable elecical contact between them. With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. In this drawing,

Fig. 1 is a sideA elevation ot an electrical receptacle showing my improved cap applied thereto, a portion of the body ofthe receptacle being broken away to show the engage- I ment of the cap blade with a 'contact in the 3o' l socket. i

' Fig. 2 is a plan view of the lower end of the receptacle.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inner end of the cap.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cap with a portion of the body broken away and also a portion of one of the blades broken away to I more clearly show the construction.

Fig. 5 is altransverse section of one of the contact blades removed from the cap body, the section being substantially on line 5V-5 @finge Fig.' 6 is a side elevation of the blade shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. v7 is a slde elevation o\f the blade look-l ing from the right of Fig. 6.

' Figs. 8 and 9 are side and edge elevations respectively of one of the members usedt form the blade, and

Fig. 10 is a top-plan view of the other member usedto form the blade. In the drawing I have shown a depending type of receptacle which may be attached' to flexible leads, not shown, connected to any suitable source of current suppl but this receptacle is merely shown fori lustration as the same type of receptacle is used for permanent wall or floor receptacles to cooperate with the attachment plug cap in exactly the same manner. The receptacle, as shown, comprises the usual insulating body member 10 having chambers or recesses therein carryin stationary contacts 11 electrically connected to the leads,` not shown, and the receptacle body 10 has T-shapedopenings or slots 12 leading to the recesses for passage of the contact blades of the caps to engage the stationary contacts in the usual manner. This socket is a standard type of socket .which is adapted to receive the blades of both types of attachment plug caps now generally used, that is,

where the blades are parallel or where they d are arranged in alignment, and it will be tion. Therefore, the crossbar portions 17 are opposed to each other and arranged in substantially parallel relation while the -leg portions 16 extend outwardly from the cross bar portion and are substantially in the same plane, or in alignment. These blades may be integral with or' may be rigidly attached to a base or plate 18 at their inner ends, which may be mounted in suitable recesses 19 in the body 15 and carry the usual binding screws 2() Aor any other means for attaching the lead wires to these plates and form electrical connection between vthese wires and the Contact blades. In the present showing they are mounted by lmeans of screws 21molded in the body extending through openings 22 in thev plate and clamped in position by nuts 23, and the body is provided with the usual opening 24 for passage of the lead wires, not shown.

The blades 14 may be made in one piece of extruded or drawn metal and T-shaped in cross section, but it is preferred to make them of two pieces as they are somewhat easier-tov f, Fig. 10, and as also shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

The plate 18 is provided on its opposite edge from the portion 17 with a notch 25. The leg portion 16 of the blade comprises a separate member, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, which has adjacent its lower end a notch'26 leading from one edge thereof, and it also has on the same edge an extending lug or rivet 27 which when assembled projects into an opening in the cross bar portion 17 to secure the two elements together. In assembling, the member 16 is inserted in the notch 25 in the plate 18 and the portion of this plate 18 at the inner end of the notch is seated in the n0tcht26 in the member 16. Thus the free edge 28 of the member 16 rests against the outer surface of the cross bar portion 17 and the end of the lug 27 is riveted over in the openin inthe member 17 to secure the two mem erstogether. The edge of the member 16 mayalso be soldered to the surface of the member 17 'if desired, but in either case it produces a substantially unitary construction. .It will be apparent that this construction also provides an underhanging hook portion 29 engaging the under side of the plate 18 which givesa very rigid connection between the portions 16 and the plate, andas the cross bar 17 is integral with the plate it will be obvious that the T-shaped blade has a very rigid connection with the plate which will offer great resistance to bending-in all directions. It will also be obvious that this construction of blade itself will be very rigid and have great strength and will offer great resistance to bendingn inV all directions. V- This blade is, therefore, particularly adapted for use with heavy duty attachments such as are used in garages or factories where the ordinary type of blade may be easily bent out of position orbroken and when bent is difficult to use because the blades are not in proper position to be inserted in the slots in the receptacle. With this construction it is very diflicult to bend the blades out of osition and the cap is, therefore, adapted or rough handling.

This cap, however, is not limited to heavy duty work as it is equally adapted for use for lighter attachments in the home. -It will be apparent that these T-shaped blades may be readily inserted in the standard T-slots of the receptacle illustrated in Fig. 2, and another especially advantageous feature of these blades -is that they each engage the three spring Contact portions 13 of the stationary contacts in the' receptacle and they,

therefore, provide a muchy greater and much more reliable electrical connection with the ing accidentally disconnected from the receptacle while in use.

Having thus set forth the nature of lmy invention, what I claim is:

1. An attachment plug cap comprising an insulating body member and a pair of contact bladeseach composed of two members, one of said members having a base to rest against the body and a laterally extending portion forming a portion of a-'contact blade, means for securingthe base to the body, and a second member extending longitudinally of said blade portion at one side thereof and at substantially right anglesl therewith and formin with the blade portion a substantially 'lg-shaped blade, means for rigidly securing one edge of the second-member to the first member, and means for rigidly securing the inner end of the second member to the base.

2. An attachment plug cap comprising an insulating body member and a pair of contact blades projecting from one side thereof,

at least one of said blades comprising two members one of said members having a base to rest against the body and a laterally extending portion forming a portion of a contact blade, means for securing the base to the body, and a second member. extending longitudinally of said blade portion at one side thereof and at substantially right angles therewith and forming with the blade'portion a substantially T-shaped blade, means for rigidly securing one edge of the second member to the first member, and means for rigidly securing the inner end of the second member vto the'base.

3. As a new'article of manufacture a contact blade for attachment plug caps comprising two members, one of said members having a base adapted to be secured to a cap body and a laterally extending portion, a second member extending longitudinally of said portion' at one side thereof and at substantially right angles thereto to form with said portion a substantially T-shaped blade, cooperating means on said portion and one edge of the second member to rigidly securesald edge to said portion, and cooperating means on the base and one end of said second member to rigidly secure said end to the base.

4. As a new article of manufacture a con- I tact blade for attachment plug caps, compris- 'ing a plate adapted to be securedto a cap y body, an extension on one edge of said plate extending at substantially right angles to the plane of the plate, and a separate membersecured to the plate at one end and extending longitudinally of and attached on one edge to said extension at one side thereof and with said extension forming acont-act blade substantially T-shaped in cross'section. Y

5. As a new article of manufacture a con--` tact blade for attachment plugcaps, comprising a plate adapted to lbe secured to a cap body, an extension on one edge of said plate extending at substantially right angles to the plane of the plate, said plate being provided in its opposite edge with a notchextending toward said extension, said extensionproviding the cross bar of a T'shaped blade, and a member extending longitudinally of said cross bar at one side thereof and-'at substantially right angles thereto to form the leg portion of the T-shaped blade, said member being seated in said notch and itself provided with a similar notch to receive said plate and provide an extension under the plate to secure said member to the plate.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a contact blade for attachment plug caps comprising a plate adapted to be secured to a cap body and including an integral extension at one edge extending at substantially right Iangles to the plane of the plate, and a separate member 4secured at one end to said plate and extending longitudinally of `lsaid eXten sion at one side thereof and substantially at right angles thereto to provide a T-shaped blade, and meansA for securing one edge of said member to the extension toprovide a substantially integral structure.

In testimony'whereof I aHiX my signature.

HARVEYv HUBBELL. 

